The Ertzaintza violates the right to be attended in Basque at a police station in Bilbao
- Bilbaíno Manu Agirre wanted to file a complaint on Wednesday at the Zabalburu police station, where he is admitted. But it has had problems in carrying out the formalities in Basque. Agirre had to wait more than an hour for an Ertzaina trained to speak in Basque. Citizens have lodged a complaint with the Observatory on Linguistic Rights. This is not the first time it has happened to you.
The event took place at five and a half p.m. at the Zabalburu police station in Bilbao. Manu Agirre has approached the police station to file a complaint of sexual assault on a minor. However, they replied that, addressing the Ertzaines in Euskera, they had to wait, because among the workers there was no one who knew Euskera. An hour later, he has been informed that he can go to the police stations of María Díaz de Haro or Deusto Street to receive the service in Basque. Finally, a Basque ertzaina has arrived in Zabalburu and told Agirre that "although for many years he has not spoken in Basque, he will try it".
The procedures have been carried out regularly due to problems in understanding the language of the employee. Agirre has called on the Basque Government Elebide to denounce the violation at the police station, but has not answered the questions of the accused. He has also lodged a complaint with the Observatory on Linguistic Rights (Foundation created by the Council of Social Entities of the Basque Country). Agirre has explained that receiving the public service in Euskera in the Basque Country is a right: "That in one of the places most used to manage this type of procedure in Bilbao is not guaranteed in Basque is not a voluntary option for the ertzaina that is there. This is a matter of structural organization." However, this is not the first time that you have had an accident with the aircraft.
In 2020, the Observatory on Linguistic Rights recorded 1,148 complaints related to language rights violations, about 400 more than in 2019. Many of these complaints were received by the security forces, in particular by the Ertzaintza. This public body has established the objective of ensuring care in Basque in the Plan for the Normalization of the Use of the Basque Country 2018-2022. However, despite progress, the linguistic rights of the population are not guaranteed.
Profiles of Euskera
According to the plan, if a citizen wants to be cared for in Basque and the service agent does not know the language, he has to find another police officer who knows Basque. As happened to Agirre. But not many Ertzaines know Euskera. In the OPE of February 2021, 700 seats were offered, of which 462 corresponded to level B2, while another 238 did not have the date of preceptivity of the linguistic profile. According to data released by the Observatory, of the 7,407 Ertzainas registered in 2017, 51% did not have an accredited Basque level. Therefore, being attended in Euskera in the public services of the Basque Country is a difficult exercise.
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